Refugees Make Our Communities & Economies Stronger.
Refugees Make Our Communities & Economies Stronger.
We Hire Refugees provides businesses with resources & consulting to effectively engage, hire & retain the refugee workforce.
A New Perspective On the Refugee Crisis
Our vision is to see a world where refugees are valued, welcomed, and included through a wave of bipartisan, inter-sector support among businesses, nonprofits, and local governments for the value of displaced people rebuilding their lives in cities across America.
In particular, we want to encourage a wave of businesses to join with the nonprofits and faith-based organizations that have long championed the refugee community in the U.S.
The Time is Now
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging, refugees are on the frontlines of the U.S. healthcare and service industries as they care for the sick and help to keep the economy running. Once the pandemic ends, they will be crucial to the nation’s recovery. Refugees move through the world with grit, determination and gratitude.
There are 26 million refugees globally. The current U.S. administration has set the lowest cap on refugee admissions since World War II – at just 18,000 people. Support for the refugee community is crucial to ensure refugees have the opportunity to be welcomed into our cities.
In this time of division and economic instability, we believe refugees can make our country stronger than ever.
Refugees: Authorized
UNCHR reports refugees are the single-most screened and vetted group to enter the U.S. Upon arrival they’re fully authorized to work.
Refugees: Innovative
In a study of 2.3 million, a CATO study concluded “refugees have entrepreneurship and homeownership rates that far exceed that of other immigrants.”
Refugees: Dependable
Researchers from Tent found that turnover rates among refugee employees were “7-15 percentage points lower than for the overall workforce.”
Together, we’ve worked to rally over 200 businesses and organizations to signal their support for the refugee community in the United States by signing the Welcome Pledge.
Community Win: Groundbreaking Protections for Refugees
From We Hire’s conception, we’ve been focused on building grassroots business support for refugees to make our communities stronger. We helped Oregon take bold steps to preserve its refugee resettlement ecosystem when legislators approved nearly $2 million in temporary state funding in 2019. HB 2508 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and Gov. Kate Brown recently signed it into law.
Photography:
Tomesha Faxio, Mesha Photography